A Nightmare on Loud Street
by Flagg1991
Summary: Freddy Kruger haunts the dreams of the Loud family. Can Lincoln and Lisa find a way to defeat him before he kills them all? Cover by Raganoxer.
1. Luan's Nightmare

Luan Loud was afraid. Sitting on her bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, she watched as the walls around her slowly changed, going from solid white to red, then to red with green stripes. _He's back_ , she thought, but didn't know who 'he' was, though she was sure that she should.

The floor went from solid to spongey, then from spongey to liquid. She leaned over, and watched it went from water to blood, and began to bubble. She gasped.

"Talk about a sticky situation!"

She looked up. Her ventriloquist's dummy was sitting on her dresser, a horrible smile on his painted face. As she watched in horror, it blinked and shook its head. "Boy, is my neck _stiff_ , get it?"

 _It's just a dream. That's all. Just a dream._

She closed her eyes, but she could still see. The dummy hopped off of the dresser and landed on the floor as though it were solid. Giggling to itself, it crossed the gap to the bed and climbed up. Luan was so scared that she couldn't move, couldn't scream.

The dummy stood at the bottom of the bed now. Whereas before it had been wearing a suit and bow tie, it was now wearing a red and green striped sweater and a dirty fedora. In that instant, Luan recognized him.

"That's right, Luan," the dummy said it toddled forward and raised its right hand. Its fingers were long and blade-like. "It's me, the man of your dreams...get it?" Its voice was deep, dark. Its face was now scarred and scorched.

The dummy came closer, and Luan's muscles unlocked. Screaming, she jumped off the bed and splashed into the bloody morass. In an instant, she was at the dining room table, surrounded by her family. Before her lie a buffet of food.

Her heart was racing. Was she awake?

Her siblings laughed and talked as though nothing were the matter. As soon as she began to let herself hope, dad turned to her, his face horribly burned, and said, "Are you hungry?"

Suddenly the table was crawling with spiders and millipedes. Luan screamed and tried to stand, but couldn't: A dark, unseen force held her in place.

Dad got up and came toward her. By the time he reached her, he had totally changed. Now he was the burned man: Freddy Krueger. His lips were drawn back over his crooked yellow teeth. On his right hand, he wore a glove with long knives attached to each of the fingers.

"Well isn't this nice?" Freddy asked, looking around the table. Her siblings ignored her. It was like they didn't even see her. "A family dinner."

Freddy leaned in and trailed one of the blades down the side of Luan's face. She winced.

"And guess what's on the menu?"

Before Luan could react, Freddy plunged his claws into her chest and ripped her heart out. Then he held it up so that she could see it. It was still beating.

Luan screamed then, and Freddy shoved it into her mouth.

"Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'eat your heart out'...get it?"

In the dream, Luan suffocated on her own heart. In reality, she sat up, let out a long, blood-curdling scream, and then flopped limply down, dead.


	2. The Funeral

Lincoln Loud sat quietly in a folding chair while each one of his sisters filed past Luan's coffin. The line started with Lori and ended with Lisa, who was holding Lilly. Lincoln studied his folded hands, hoping desperately that no one would urge him to "pay his last respects." A part of him wanted to. Once the service was over and the coffin was closed, he would never see Luan again. He knew that. But a much bigger part of him didn't want to see her all laid out, her hands folded atop her chest and her eyes closed, the cloying stench of flowers enshrouding her. He wanted to remember her the way she was, happy and laughing, not dead and painted up in a grotesque approximation of life.

A voice in his head told him that he would regret not seeing her one last time. He looked up, saw Luna leaning over the casket, crying and trying to speak, and decided. He got up and slid into line behind Lisa. Mom and dad were sitting side-by-side in the front row, holding each other and trying to fight back tears. Lincoln sighed.

When it came his turn, he stopped and gazed upon the upturned face of his sister. She looked so peaceful, like she was asleep and would wake up at the slightest sound. He reached out and touched her hand: It was cold, and he shivered.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his lips began to quiver and he knew he was going to cry. "I love you," he said, and broke down. Someone helped him to a chair and he sobbed into his hands.

The service was short. Father Hernandez spoke about the tragedy of youth cut short, and affirmed his belief that Luan was safe now in the loving arms of Christ. Lincoln didn't hear much of it.

When it was over, they piled into the van and followed the hearse to the cemetery. Lincoln stood in between Lori and Leni as the casket was lowered into the ground. Lori rubbed his shoulder and Leni patted his back. Both of their faces were red and tear streaked.

No one spoke on the ride home, grief weighing heavy in the air. When they got home, Lincoln was the first one in the house. In his room, he shut the door and laid down. For a long time, he stared at the ceiling, processing his emotions. Even though he'd seen his sister in repose, even though he watched as she was committed to the earth, it still didn't feel real. He was sure that if he went back out into the hall, she would be there, wearing her stupid Groucho Marx glasses and laughing over some awful pun. The urge to get up and open the door descended upon him, and he had to fight it back. Luan's dead, he told himself, and putting it so plainly, so raw, pushed him over the edge. He grabbed his pillow, put it over his face, and cried.

The next he knew, Luna was shaking him awake. "Dinner's ready," she croaked. Lincoln muttered and sat up. The light falling through the window was the color of blood.

"Alright," he said. Luna squeezed his shoulder and went away, leaving him alone.

Stripping out of his suit, he put on a pair of jeans and an orange polo shirt. As he went down the stairs, he realized that being around everyone else was the last thing he wanted to do.

Dinner was quieter than usual, as it had been since the day Luna found Luan dead. Mom and dad both tried to make conversation, but no one answered in more than a monosyllable. Dad asked Lynn why she didn't go to basketball practice, and Lynn said she just wasn't "feeling" it.

As soon as he was able, Lincoln fled the table and went back to his room, where he sat on his bed, thinking of Luan and smiling wanly at his memories. She wouldn't want him to suffer like this. She would want him to go on.

Sighing, he grabbed a comic book, and tried to read, but his heart wasn't in it. He stretched out on the bed and was soon asleep.


	3. Lincoln and the Badly Burned Man

In his dream, he crossed a silent, moonlit street and stole into the cemetery. An owl hooted from a big tree, and he started, uttering a small cry.

From there, he fumbled through the shadows, bumping into gravestones and tripping over gnarled roots. His heart beat sickly against his ribcage. He was on a mission, though, and nothing would stop him: He was going to get his sister back.

The wind rose then, and moaned hollowly, like the voice of the dead. He shuddered, but pressed on. Soon, he was standing at Luan's grave. The stone was big and square. LUAN LOUD 2003-2017 was etched into its face. Flowers were heaped around the stone's base. A lump of fresh dirt marked the place where she had been buried.

Suddenly, he had a shovel, and he started digging, throwing the dirt off into the night. Whispers swirled around him, a thousand ghosts asking to be set free, but he didn't have time for them. He was here for Luan and Luan alone.

When the blade of the shovel finally scraped against the lid of the coffin, he threw it aside, knelt, and frantically brushed the remaining dirt off. He was so close. Soon, Luan would be happy and alive and everything would be okay again, just like it was before.

He opened the lid, and Luan was there, her hands folded on her chest the way they were at the service. Only now her eyes were open. Lincoln fell back with a scream, some deep, primal part of his brain screaming that this was wrong, that Luan was dead.

Dead or not, Luan sat up and rolled her neck. When her eyes fell on him, she smiled, only instead of the warm, beatific grin he was used to, it was a cold, unfeeling grimace. "Hiya, Linc," she said, "this is certainly a grave encounter. Get it? I'm _bury_ glad you could make it."

Lincoln watched as Luan stood. She was wearing a green blouse and a red skirt. He tried to remember what she was wearing earlier, but couldn't.

"What's wrong, Lincoln? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Lincoln's paralysis broke then, and he scrambled out of the grave. Luan followed. As he fled, he spared a glance over his shoulder. Her face was _wrong_ , burned and melted. She raised her right hand; instead of fingers, there were _claws_.

This couldn't be happening!

Lincoln ran, and suddenly found himself on his own doorstep. He grabbed the knob and turned. Behind him, Luan stalked down the street, her shadow creeping across the pavement.

"Come back, Lincoln!" she cried in a deep, gravelly voice that wasn't her own. "I've got something to show ya!" 

Screaming, Lincoln burst through the door and slammed it behind him. He started up the stairs, but his feet sank into the floor as though it was quicksand. The door burst open and Luan entered, only it wasn't Luan, but a tall man in a red and green striped sweater and a hat.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," the man said, "kids. Always tracking mud through the house."

Lincoln howled and, grabbing the bannister, pulled himself up. In the second floor hall, mist crept along the floor. When he reached his room, he slammed the door and jumped under the covers like a child afraid of the dark. For a long time, he was alone, the only sound his ragged breathing.

Then his cell-phone buzzed in his pocket.

Taking it out, he looked at the screen. CLYDE it said.

Lincoln answered it. "H-Hello?"

"Lincy!" the burned man said, "it's me."

"Leave me alone!" Lincoln cried.

The man laughed. "But, Lincy, I'm your sister now."

A tongue came out of the phone and licked Lincoln's lips.

That's when he sat bolt upright, a scream locked in his throat.

A dream, he thought, just a dream.


	4. Luna Won't Sleep

Friday, June 12, was the last day of school. When the clock struck 3, Lincoln felt none of the joy he had in years past. Luan was gone and the Loud house wasn't the same. A little of the life had left it. Though it had been nearly two weeks, no one had fully recovered. Luna, especially, seemed to be taking it hard. Over the past few days, she had become pale and withdrawn, dark bags under eyes. She wasn't sleeping, Lincoln supposed, and he worried about her.

That final day of school, Lincoln walked home with Lynn. Though she wasn't feeling up to sports the day of the funeral, she sure was now. As they walked, she tossed a tennis ball up into the air and caught it, at one point launching it into the distance and then running to snatch it out of the air. Lincoln secretly susped that she was throwing herself into sports to get her mind off Luan.

At home, Lincoln made himself a snack in the kitchen, ate it, and went up to his room. On his way, he stuck his head into Luna and Luan's room (just Luna's room now, he corrected himself with a heavy heart): Luna was sitting on her bed, strumming her guitar and looking off into space. On the nightstand were several cans. Coke. Monster. A plastic cup from Starbucks.

"That's a lot of caffine," Lincoln said.

For a moment he didn't think she heard him, then she turned to face him. "Yeah. I don't wanna sleep."

Lincoln blinked. "Why?"

"Nightmares."

The nightmare of several days ago came back to him. The burned man chasing him. He nodded. "Yeah, I've been having nightmares too. It's normal at a time like this, I guess."

"I don't like them," she said, and went back to her strumming.

Lincoln started toward his room, but stopped. Luna was trying to keep herself awake, which wasn't good. She needed her rest.

At Lisa's room, he knocked, and then went in. Lisa was standing in front of a table laden with beakers and test tubes.

Lincoln closed the door behind him and said, "I...I have something to talk to you about."

"Make it quick," Lisa said, "I am on the verge of a scientific breakthrough."

"Well," Lincoln said, rubbing the back of his neck, "it's Luna. She isn't sleeping and...I was wondering if you could give her a sedative."

"I've noticed Luna's aversion to sleep," Lisa said. "I was already thinking along similar lines. Sleep deprivation carries a host of negative side effects. Our parents have forbidden me from drugging our siblings, however."

"Please," Lincoln said, "she really needs to get some sleep."

Lisa sighed and turned. "Alright. It _is_ for her own good, I suppose."

"Thanks, sis," Lincoln said.

"Don't mention it," Lisa replied. "Really. Not a word."

"No problem," Lincoln said.

Later, at dinner, Lincoln caught Lisa pouring a clear liquid onto Luna's plate when no one else was looking. She nodded, and Lincoln nodded back.


	5. Luna's Nightmare

Luna Loud sat on her bed and took a can of Monster from the drawer of her nightstand. She popped it open and took a long swallow, grimacing at the warm, slimy taste. She sat it back down and grabbed her guitar. She was feeling extra drowsy, and that scared her. She had to stay awake.

She tried to play the opening riff of an old rock song she'd heard on the radio, but botched it so badly that she cringed.

It all started the day after Luan died. In her dream, she was lost in a series of shadowy, maze-like corridors, running from something she couldn't see. In the first dream, she neither saw nor heard anything. The next night, she became aware of moaning. She imaged corpses walking in the darkness, and woke screaming.

In the next dream, she turned a corner, and came face-to-face with Luan. Her sister's face was blue and beginning to rot. Her eyes bulged from their sockets. She smiled and tried to strangle her, but she got away. Just as she began to think she was free, a horribly burned man in a red and green sweater jumped out of the shadows and grabbed her.

After that one, she decided that she wouldn't sleep anymore. She drank soda, coffee, and energy drinks. She even considered scoring some H off Chunk, since he knew people who used, but she thought that maybe that was going a little too far.

God, she was tired.

Yawning, she turned on the radio and leaned back, strumming her guitar. The deejay was talking about an upcoming Mick Swagger tour.

"We got two tickets left! So hurry up and call!"

She briefly considered calling, but suddenly the idea of simply pulling out her phone and dialing a number drained her.

"You're lucky caller number nine!" the deejay cried happily. "What's your name, caller?"

"Freddy," came a deep, ominous voice.

"Alright, Freddy. You takin' anyone special with you?"

"Yeah, I wanna take my new girlfriend, Luna Loud."

Luna jerked and dropped her guitar.

"Luna Loud!" the deejay cried. "Come on down!"

A red light shot out of the radio then. Luna screamed. Suddenly, she was standing in a concert hall. Around her, people screamed frantically, some of them holding up signs. On stage, Mick Swagger, dressed in tight white pants and a purple coat, sang into a microphone.

"One, two, Freddy's coming for you..."

A spotlight fell on her, and she threw up hands up.

"Three, four, lock your door!"

She had to get out of here. She turned, and bumped into someone. She started to apologize, but stopped when she saw it was Luan. Most of the flesh had rotted from her face, leaving her a grim, grinning skull. "Rock on!" Luan screamed, and pushed Luna back. Before she could right herself, the crowd had taken her, and she was surfing on it, a thousand hands grazing her back. She screamed and tried to roll off, but she was trapped: She was helpless as the screaming mob despoted her on the stage.

Panting, she got to her feet, and Mick was there, his arm around her shoulder. "Glad to see ya, luv," he said. "Wanna duet?"

Luna shrugged away from him.

"Oh, come, now," Mick said, advancing. "You've wanted this your entire life, 'ave you not?"

Luna slowly backed away. The crowd was in a frenzy. She looked left, right, saw no means of escape.

Suddenly, something stabbed her in the back, and she screamed. She was yanked off her feet, and sailed high above the crowd. A red and green guitar appeared in her hands, and she was powerless to stop herself from grabbing it and playing a riff she didn't know.

"This is it!" the guitar cried in a dark voice, "your big solo!"

The strings shredded her fingers. They wept crimson. The hook in her back wrenched free, and she was falling, screaming, still playing the guitar.

The burned man appeared below her, his claw thrust into the air. She landed on it, the blades sinking deep into her stomach. She screamed and coughed, blood gushing from her lips. Darkness came over her, and the last thought she had was a vision of her family.

Freddy let her drop and stood over her. "Luna Loud," he said, "has left the building."


	6. Another Funeral

For the second time in less than a month, Lincoln Loud stood over a casket bearing one of his sisters, his heart broken and his eyes filled with tears. Next to him, Lisa tightly gripped his hand.

Lincoln was sure that it was his fault: Lisa's sedative was the reason Luna died. Even when the autopsy came back showing that she had died of a heart attack (like Luan), he was sure that he was to blame.

"There's no way that the sedative could have done it," Lisa had explained. "It was so mild that it might as well have been Nyquil. Of course, if she had an underlying heart condition, it's possible, though it's more likely that the massive amount of caffeine she ingested is responsible."

After Luna died, Lisa had embarked on a mission to eximine each member of the family, worried that there was a genetic abnormality present in the Loud genes that might account for the strange and sudden deaths. She found nothing. Everyone from mom and down to Lilly was hale and healthy. Lisa requested (and was given by mom and dad) Luan and Luna's medical records dating back five years. She found nothing still.

"I'm baffled," she said, "it's as though they both simply...died."

Presently, Lincoln sat as Father Hernandez committed Luna into the hands of God, his shoulders slumped under the weight of his grief. After the graveside service, he went to his room and didn't come out until someone knocked.

It was Lisa.

"I have something you should see."

"What?"

"Just come with me."

In Lisa's room, Lana was sitting in front of a bank of TV screens. When Lisa and Lincoln entered, she popped a tape into a VCR, and an image of Luan popped up on the screen.

"I remembered Luan's cameras," Lisa said.

Luan, in her endless quest for "comedy gold" had (with Lana's help) installed cameras throughout the house.

"I thought maybe the tapes could shed some light on what's been happening."

On the screen, Luan was thrashing under her covers. Then she sat up like a shot, her face a twisted mask of terror.

"This is the night before she died," Lisa explained. "It's the fifth night in a room she seems to have suffered extreme distress in her sleep."

Lisa nodded, and Lana popped another tape into another VCR. Onscreen, Luna was tossing and turning in her bed.

"This is four nights before Luna died," Lisa said. Much like Luan before her, Luna sat up in a state of panic.

"What does it mean?" Lincoln asked.

"I'm not sure exactly," Lisa said, "though it does denote a trend. Both appear to have been suffering nightmares in the days leading up to their deaths. I am reminded of a case from Los Angeles in the early eighties where a number of people suffered nightmares and then inexplicably died shortly after. I have to do more research, but for now, this gives me hope that I might be able to combat this before anyone else dies." Lisa turned to him, her face grave. "Have you been suffering nightmares lately?"

Lincoln started to say no, but stopped. He remembered the nightmare where he dug Luan up, and the horrible burned man chased him.

"Actually...yes."

Lisa's eyes widened.

"Tell me."

While both Lisa and Lana listened intently, Lincoln recalled his dream. At one point, Lisa grabbed a notepad and a pencil and urged him to continue. When he was done, she read over her notes.

"Is that the only one you've had thus far?"

Lincoln nodded. "Yeah."

"If you have any more, tell me at once."

Promising that he would, Lincoln returned to his room and tried to come to grips with what appeared to be happening. Luna and Luan both died after having nightmares. Luan showed no outward signs, but Luna started to fight sleep. If it was genetic, what could be done about it? Lincoln was afraid.

That night, before bed, he chugged a can of Sam's Cola and tried to stay awake.


	7. The Bitch of the Hour

Leni Loud watched as models strutted down a narrow runway and posed for frenzied photographers, their perfect bodies clad in her designs. She was so happy that he trembled. It had always been her dream to be a famous fashion designer, and here she was, in New York City, surrounded by the best in the business.

A stylish black woman in a sparkly black dress paused at the end of the runway, her hands on her hips, then retreated behind the curtain. The master of ceremonies read from a card, "Next up is Leni Loud's newest design, modeled by the inimitable F. Kruger."

The curtain parted and a bald, horribly burned man swished out, shaking his hips. He was wearing a ratty red and green striped sweater, brown trousers, and muddy work boots. He grinned and mugged for the cameras. Leni blinked. His face was the color of sun scotched sand and pockmarked with red, bloody blisters, putting her in mind of a cheese pizza left in the oven too long. His yellow teeth were broken and crooked.

The man paused at the end of the runway and struck a pose. The paparazzi went crazy. The man pursed his lips, shook his butt, and laughed.

Leni couldn't believe this. Not only was he totes gross, his clothes were anything _but_ fashionable.

"Who is that?" Leni asked the person next to her. "He's awful!"

"That's Freddy."

Leni knew the voice. It was Luna.

Sure enough, her sister was there, an evil smile on her face. Leni's blood ran cold.

"What's wrong, sis?" Luna asked.

Leni tried to speak but sputtered instead. She got shakily to her feet. "Y-You're dead!"

Someone grabbed her shoulder, and she jumped. She was on the runway now. "Here she is!" a deep, demonic voice said. She turned, and Freddy Kruger was behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders, only one of his hands wasn't a hand at all, it was a claw. "Leni Loud, the bitch of the hour!"

Leni pulled away from the terrible man and spun. He grinned and shoved her. Screaming and flailing her arms, she fell into the crowd. Somehow, she landed in a field full of flowers. The sky was wide and crystal blue. The sun shone. It was over.

She was safe.

Only she wasn't. A loud roar filled the day. An old crop duster appeared in the sky, soaring low over the ground. It was painted red and green. Freddy's face stared out of the cockpit. He was wearing goggles.

Leni screamed and ran. She looked over her shoulder just as Freddy began firing at her. Tiny blades struck the earth around her and kicked up clouds of dust. Freddy screamed mad laughter. "This is Freddy Airlines, buckle up and hold on, we're going down."

The plane slammed into the ground just behind her. A hot rush of air lifted her off her feet and flung her through the sky. She struck the ground, rolled, and got back to her feet. Freddy was there, squatting and jumping from one foot to the other like a soccor goalie.

"Leave me alone!"

She turned to run, but he was somehow in front of her. Her grabbed her by the throat with his normal hand and lifted her up. She kicked and fought, the world going gray around her.

"I'm gonna do to you what I did to your bitch sisters." He raised his knife-hand, but a loud, rapid _beep-beep-beep_ filled the world. Freddy's eyes widened and his face darkened.

"Next time, Leni Loud."

Leni jerked awake, the alarm ringing in her ears. Her heart was pounding.

And her neck was sore.


	8. Family Meeting

In the early afternoon, Lincoln slipped into Lisa's room. The girl was hunched over a laptop, clicking furiously away.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"Not as well as I had hoped," she said. "Although, I did find the case I mentioned last night."

As Lincoln listened, Lisa explained that in the 1970s, a number of Southeast Asian immigrants died after suffering horrifying nightmares. The victims were all male and all between the ages of 19 and 57. Some of the men refused to sleep, much the way Luna had.

"It was most likely Brugada syndrome, a genetic disease characterized by abnormal electrocardiogram findings and an increased risk of sudden cardiac death, but the jury is still out, so to speak. No one knows exactly _what_ it was."

"Are you sure that's what...happened to Luan and Luna?"

Lisa pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't know. I've found nothing."

"I...I had another dream last night."

Lisa startled. "Tell me about it."

"I was in my bed, looking at the ceiling. It was dark. I heard a noise in the vents, and suddenly, Luna's face was there, only it was burned and nasty. I screamed and tried to get up, but the bed sprouted arms and grabbed me."

Lisa sighed. "I want to run a sleep study on you tonight. First, I think we should talk to the others."

An hour later, they gathered in Lori's room.

"I believe I have discovered the cause of Luan and Luna's deaths," Lisa started without preamble. A collective gasp rose up.

"Before each one passed away, they were subject to nightmares. Lincoln has also had several nightmares. Tell them, Lincoln."

Sighing, Lincoln told his sisters about the burned man. When he was done, Leni was pale and shaky. "I had one too."

The others looked at her.

"Last night." She went through her dream from beinning to end. When she was finished, dark silence hung over the room.

"Has anyone else had a similar dream?"

Everyone shook their head.

"I believe this may be a sort of genetic condition. Tonight, I plan on running a sleep study on Lincoln. Leni now too. If any of you experience a dream with a burned man, come to me immediately."

They parted, the atmosphere somber. Something was very wrong in the Loud house.


	9. Sleep Study

That night, Lisa set up an array of machines in Luna and Luan's old room. Lincoln took one bed while Leni took the other. Lisa hooked them up then sat in a straight-back kitchen chair, a clipboard in her lap. She watched over them both as they struggled to fall asleep, then as they both, moments apart, finally dropped off.

Checking the digital readout of her home EKG machine, Lisa saw that their brainwaves were normal. The moment either one entered into a nightmare, she would know.

The night was long, silent, and lonely. The machines beeped and booped, soothing her. She fought against sleep, getting up at one point and getting a can of cola from the fridge.

Back in the room, she sipped it while she watched Leni. The girl had muttered in her sleep several times, but the readout showed no changes in her brainwaves. Lisa was prepared to write it off until the girl whimpered and shuddered. Setting her cola aside, Lisa got up and went over to her. She manually checked her pulse.

It was slow and regular.

Strange.

Just then, Leni grabbed her by her hair and pulled her close, her eyes flinging open. "I like a girl with brains," a dark voice issued forth. Lisa fought, but the older girl was stronger, pulling her close and slipping her tongue into her mouth.

Pushing away, Lisa wreched free of Leni's grasp and fell to the floor. When she got up, a man with a burned face sat where Leni had been moments ago. Lisa gaped. He was dressed in a red and green sweater and a hat. He wore a glove on his right hand, each finger affixed to a dull, wickedly sharp blade.

"Lisa, Lisa, Lisa," he said, "you're too smart for your own good."

Lisa blinked. "No..."

"In fact, you might just be the smartest little girl I've ever killed."

Lisa ran then, fleeing from the room and into the hall. Freddy was right behind her. "Come back here!" he yelled. "I want to run a death study!"

She ran down the stairs and found herself in the middle of the dining room. This wasn't right.

Luna and Luan were both at the table, eating something red and wet with their hands. Their faces were white and smothered with blood.

"Join us, Lisa," Luna said.

Behind her, Freddy laughed, and Lisa ran into the kitchen, but stopped when a Rottweiler darted through the back door, its muzzle dripping with foam. Lisa's heart sputtered. Her two greatest fears: Vicious dogs and rabies.

She turned, and Freddy grabbed her. "Oooh, what's the matter? You don't wanna pet the doggie?"

Lisa fought against him, but he was too powerful. As a last resort, she sank her teeth into his forearm.

Yelling, he threw her down; she struck the cabniets and sank to the floor.

"That just earned you one ticket to Blade City," Freddy said, coming forward. He raised his hand and brought it down, but at the last moment, Lisa blocked the blow with her left arm. The blades sliced skin. Lisa screamed.

"Here it comes!" Freddy yelled, raising his arm again. "Here it fucking comes!"

The blades flashed through the air, but Lisa came awake, Lori shaking her worriedly. She screamed and fell out of the chair.

"Lisa! Are you okay?"

"No," Lisa panted. She rolled up her sleeve and looked at the three bloody gashes on her forearm. "He's real."


	10. The Ballad of Freddy Kruger

The next day passed sluggishly. After breakfast, Lisa asked Lincoln to tell the others that she wanted to hold a meeting in her room before dinner. Lincoln did, and saw in the face of each sister the same fear. Lori had told them all about the previous night's experience. Lisa refused to speak of it, so rumor ran wild.

Shortly before dinner, the Louds gathered in Lisa's room. Lincoln stood by the door, blocking it in case one of their parents tried to enter. He didn't know why, but Lisa insisted that they not be told what was happening. Or what seemed to be happening. Lincoln didn't know which end was up at this point. If what Lori said was true, and this Freddy Kruger guy was real and not just a genetic abnormality, the world as Lincoln knew it ceased to be.

Sitting in a chair, Lisa cleared her throat. "As I'm sure you are all aware, I attempted to conduct a sleep study on Lincoln and Leni last night. I myself wound up falling asleep, and something extraordinary happened."

"You had one of the dreams?" Lola asked.

Lisa took a moment to reply. "Yes," she finally said. "Only, I can't bring myself to call it a 'dream' as dreams are..."

She broke off, and silently rolled up her sleeve. A thick white bandage was stuck to her skin. She slowly peeled it off, and revealed three jagged, claw-like slice marks.

"Though it flies in the face of everything I believe, I am forced to conclude that what we are facing here is not a genetic condition, as previously suspected, but is, rather, an event of supernatural origins."

She told them about her dream, about Freddy cutting her arm, about her waking only to find that her arm had actually been cut.

"Today, I did a little research, and found this." She grabbed a stack of papers, got up, and passed them out. Lincoln took a copy and looked at it. It was a print out of a Wikipedia article for Frederick John Kruger. A man with a narrow face and intense eyes stared back at him.

"Frederick Charles Kruger," Lisa said, "was a serial killer of children active in the town of Springwood, Ohio, from 1964 to 1967. During that time, he murdered and molested eight children. He was found with his last victim in the trunk of his car. He was arrested, naturally, but was freed on a technicality. Several days later, he was found burned to death in an abandoned building."

Lisa paused, looking over her siblings. "I suspect foul play, but newspaper reports of the day list his death as suicide."

"This is crazy," Lori said.

"I know," Lisa said. "I know."

"So what is this guy, then?" Lynn asked. "The bogeyman?"

"I don't know," Lisa said. "I just don't know. I have a couple theories, but I'm not entirely happy with them."

"What are they?" Lori asked.

Taking a deep breath, Lisa said, "One is that the creature we've encountered is not actually Freddy Kruger but is, rather, a demonic spirit that has attached itself to our family and is choosing, for whatever reason, to manifest itself as Kruger."

"Why?" Leni asked.

"Yeah," Lana echoed, "why did he choose us?"

Lisa sighed. "From what I've read on the subject, demonic spirits, if they are powerful enough, may _cross over_ into our world. They can't just do it whenever they want; instead, they need a portal, or a gateway."

"What kind of gateway?" Lori asked.

"A Ouija board," Lisa said, and looked pointedly at Lucy, "or a crystal ball."

Lucy flinched. "You're saying _I_ did this?"

"I'm saying that your attempts to contact spirits may have drawn a dark force to you, and, through you, into our home. If that is the case, and I'm not entirely convinced that it is, you're not to blame. You didn't know what you were doing."

"What's your other theory?" Lori asked.

"That we're being picked off one-by-one by the vengeful spirit of a child killer."

"What can we do?" Lynn asked.

"I don't know," Lisa said, and sat once more. "We need to sleep, but if we do, he'll come."

"Why?" Lori asked. "I mean...why our dreams?"

"When we sleep," Lisa said, "our minds and our bodies are weaker than they are when we're awake. This Kruger-thing might be powerful, but not powerful enough to attack us when we're awake. When we're asleep, he...I don't know, manipulate our minds. This is all new to me. Up until last night, I'd never given this spiritualist nonsense the slightest consideration. Suffice it to say, sleep is dangerous. I suggest we avoid it. I will work as quickly as I can to develop a method of resistance. I've been working on a powerful sedative that I hope will suppress the dream cycle, thus denying Kruger the chance to attack us. I hope to have it done tonight. I'll need to test it on someone."

"I'll do it," Lincoln said.

Lisa nodded. "Until then, _do not fall asleep."_


	11. Don't Go to Sleep

Staying awake is harder than it sounds. Lincoln Loud closed his comic book and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. 12:38 the digital readout read. He sighed, flopped his head back against the pillow, and closed his eyes.

Lynn punched his leg. "Don't even think about it."

It was Lisa's idea to have the siblings pair off. "A support system," Lisa called it. Lola and Lana, Leni and Lori, Lynn, Lucy, and Lincoln. Lilly remained with Lisa, Lisa certain that Lilly's brain wasn't formed enough to accommodate Kruger.

"I'm awake," Lincoln said.

"Not for long if you keep nodding off."

"I'm not nodding off," Lincoln protested. He sat up on the bed. Lucy sat by the window, her nose buried in a book. Lynn was sitting on the floor, thumping her tennis ball against the wall.

"Just don't go to sleep," Lynn said, and yawned.

Lincoln picked his comic back up and opened it. He tried to focus on the panels, but couldn't. He blinked, and squinted his eyes. SuperDude was running through a city street after Dr. Wicked. Lincoln's eyes began to close, but shot open again as the panel came to life. Only instead of SuperDude chasing Dr. Wicked, it was Freddy Kruger chasing Leni, his arm raised and a horrible laugh issusing from his throat.

"I'm gonna get'cha!" he said.

"Lynn..." Lincoln said.

Lynn didn't reply.

In the comic, Kruger stopped and looked at Lincoln. "What are _you_ looking at, white hair?"

"Lincoln!"

Lincoln jerked awake, the comic book falling from his face, where it had been tented. Lynn was kneeling next to him, her eyes wide, her chest heaving.

"I...I saw him."

"Stop falling asleep."

Lincoln sat up. "Okay, yeah. Sorry."

Lynn settled back on the floor and crossed her arms. Her eyes were heavy, and she could feel sleep stealing over her.

 _Not gonna happen_ , she thought defiantly, _I'm not falling asleep._

She closed her eyes, and was suddenly on a football field. The offenseive line of an opposing team was lined up in front of her. They were all big, too big, and their faces looked strange. Their uniforms were green and red.

A whistle sounded, and they started charging her. She ducked around one of them, jumped up, snatched a ball from the sky that she didn't even know was coming, and ran into the end zone. The crowd went wild. She spiked the ball agasint the ground in celebration, and another whistle blew. The ref came up. His face was burned and melted. His jersey was striped red and green.

"Foul on the field!" he called, throwing a red flag on the ground. "Number 69, Lynn Loud. Playing like a girl!"

"Lynn?"

Lynn jumped. Lucy was next to her on the floor. "You were sleeping."

"Thanks," Lynn muttered.

In Lola and Lana's room, a similar scene was unfolding. The twins were sitting next to each other on Lana's bed. Every time one would nod off, the other would slap their arm. Lola was first. She was in a beauty pageant, strutting down the runway. All the judges gave her a 10...except for the burned man on the end. He gave her a negative 10. "Even I wouldn't touch that bag of barf, and I'm a child molester!"

When Lana shook her awake, she was seething. "Who does he think he is?"

Next was Lana. She was working on a stock car at the Daytona 500. She turned away from the engine, and when she turned back, it had become a giant, flame-broiled face. "I got something you can fix!"

In Leni and Lori's room, Lori nodded off, and dreamed that she was sunning herself on a beach while Bobby played volleyball with a scarred man in a sweater. At one point, something blocked her sun, and she opened her eyes. The man was holding Bobby's severed head over her. "Hey, babe," Bobby said, "want some head?"

When Leni shook her awake, she sighed. "Lisa better be ready."

She went to the younger girl's room and knocked. Inside, Lisa turned from her lab. "I know why you're here. The sedative is done. Gather everyone and bring them here."

Thank God, Lori thought.


	12. Sedated

Fifteen minutes later, Lincoln was lying in Lisa's bed, hooked up to a number of machines. Lisa scribbled on a clipboard, then stuck several electrodes to his head.

"If all goes as planned," she explains, "the sedative will circumvent the dream cycle, and Kruger will not be able to harm you. I will be monitoring your brain activity, and will know if you are dreaming. The effects of the sedative may allow for you to dream without Kruger interfering, but I can't promise anything. If your heart rate indicates that you are in distress, I will wake you up."

"How?" Lincoln asked.

"With this," Lisa said, holding up a syringe.

"What is it?"

"Adrenaline. Are you ready?"

Lincoln nodded. The truth was: He wasn't. He was terrified. But someone had to do it, and he decided it should be him.

"Alright," Lisa said. She handed Lincoln a small white pill and a glass of water. "The active properties are fast acting. You should be asleep in moments."

Lincoln nodded, tossed the pill into his mouth, and drank the water. He looked around at the rest of his sisters. They watched anxiously, their faces masks of worry. He nodded and forced a smile.

"I'll give you one hour," Lisa said. "If you don't show any signs of distress in that time, I will assume that it was successful."

Lincoln nodded, already drowsy. He laid his head down, and darkness stole over him.

For a while, the world was nothing. Then, slowly, an eerie red light filtered through the void. Lincoln felt himself drifting, and found himself standing on the front step of a house he had never seen before. It was white with a red door and a green roof. Vines grew up a lattice along the side.

 _It didn't work,_ Lincoln thought, his heart twinging.

A sound. Lincoln turned. Two little girls in white dresses, and with ribbons in their hair, skipped rope in the yard. Lincoln watched them, somehow certain that they were ghosts.

One of the girls looked up at him, and a sly smile crossed her face. "Freddy's coming."

Lincoln turned back to the door, but found himself standing instead in a living room. The walls were scorched and black, water dripped from the ceiling, and wreckage littered the floor.

"Fred Kruger!" someone yelled, and Lincoln jumped.

"Fred Kruger! Baby killer!"

It was coming from outside.

Lincoln cautiously moved to the front window and drew back the ragged curtain. In the yard, a group of people were gathered, some of them holding torches. A few of them were kicking figure on the ground. Lincoln squinted.

A man in a white button-up shirt and tan slacks knelt down and yanked the figure into a sitting position. It was Kruger, not as he appeared in dreams, burned and dead, but alive, as he had been in the Wikipedia photo. Blood snaked down his bruised face. His eye was black and swollen. Even so, he was grinning a sinister grin.

The man in the button-up slapped Kruger across the face. Kruger chuckled. "I put it in your daughter's ass, Franklin. I made her _beg_ to die."

The man hit Kruger again, knocking him down. Another man yelled something, and pointed to the house. Lincoln fell back a step, sure that he had been spotted: Instead, the mob dragged Kruger up the walkway and into the house. Lincoln ducked behind an armchair and watched as they brought Kruger into the living room.

"Burn his ass, Frank," a small man in a white T-shirt and cuffed jeans said, "send him to hell."

A man stepped forward, and Lincoln was surprised: He was wearing a tan police uniform with a gold badge above his left breast. He grabbed a torch from a woman with a beehive hairdo and stood over Kruger, a look of hatred on his face.

"Do it, Frank," Kruger laughed. "Or don't you have the balls, you cocksucking piece of shit?"

Frank jabbed the torch at Kruger, and he went up like the Fourth of July. Kruger screamed.

"Burn it all!" Frank yelled.

Several men went around the living room, holding their torches to anything that would catch. Soon, the entire space was filled with flames, and the mob retreated.

The heat was intense against Lincoln's face. He watched as, in the configluatation, Kruger got to his feet and reared back, a loud, horrible wail escaping his burning throat. The heat was worse now. The flames close. Panicking, Lincoln turned and threw himself through the window, crashing into the yard.

For a moment he remained on his stomach, panting.

"Ah, precious memories."

Lincoln jerked. Kruger was standing next to him, facing the house, one arm folded across his chest, the other cupping his chin. One blade thoughtfully tapped the side of his face.

Lincoln got to his feet.

"But I came back, and I made them suffer."

Lincoln turned to run, but Kruger was there. He snatched Lincoln up by his shirt and pulled him close, so that their faces were mere inches apart. "Just like I made your sisters suffer."

Yelling, Lincoln lashed out and hit Kruger in the face. Kruger dropped him, and Lincoln ran, hitting the street and heading what he took to be south. When he looked over his shoulder, Kruger was standing in the middle of the road, backlit against the full moon. "Not so fast, Lincy!"

A black shadow ran across the pavement, and rose up in front of Lincoln like a demon. It was Kruger-shaped.

Screaming, Lincoln ducked left, and found himself in an industrial park. Abandoned factories and warehouses lined a slime-slathered alley. He looked around, his heart pounding. Where was he?

More importantly, where was Kruger?

A long, metallic scraping sounded, and Lincoln spun. Kruger was standing at the head of the alley, on one side of him was Luan, on the other was Luna. They both wore gloves just like Kruger's.

"Come here, Lincy," Luan said.

"Yeah, dude," Luna added. "It's fun to be dead."

Lincoln stumbled back a step.

"If you won't come to us," Kruger said, "we'll just come to you."

He held out his arms, cried, "Super Freddy, activiate!" and, as Lincoln watched in horror, Luan and Luna climbed on top of him. With a dark shimmer, Freddy was suddenly fifteen feet tall. He looked like...like a Transformer, Lincoln realized.

Lincoln turned to flee, but Super Freddy grabbed him and brought him close to his face.

"Time to die, Lincoln Loud."

Lincoln grabbed the cuff of Freddy's shirt and yanked. A piece came off in his hand. It was hopeless, he was...

...sitting bolt upright, a scream building in his throat. His heart slammed in his chest. Lori and Leni were there, trying to calm him.

"I'm so sorry, Lincoln," Lisa was saying. "I tried to wake you, but..." she trailed off as she noticed the red cloth in his hand.

She took it and looked at it, then whispered, "Oh my God."


	13. Welcome to the Real World

"I have an idea," Lisa said. She was standing before her siblings, the red snatch of cloth in her hand. "Lincoln brought this with him from the 'dream world'. If we can bring Freddy himself out, we might be able to fight him." 

"How do we do that?" Lola asked.

"Simple," Lisa replied. "One of us will be sedated. In our dream, we grab Freddy, then, when we wake up..."

"I don't know," Lori said. "This sounds...crazy."

"This whole thing sounds crazy," Lisa said. "As I see it, this is the only option we have. If we don't do this, we might as well get used to not sleeping. A human being can only withstand a week, maybe a little more, without sleep before death occurs. If anyone has a better idea, I'd love to hear it."

No one spoke.

"Alright. Any volunteers?"

"Me," Lincoln said.

"Are you sure?" Lisa asked.

Lincoln nodded.

"I wanna do it," Lynn said. "Lincoln's done enough already."

"No, Lynn," Lincoln said, "I'll go."

Lynn opened her mouth to argue, but stopped, and looked at Lisa. "Can more than one of us go?" 

Lisa blinked. "I...I don't know. It's possible, I suppose, if I could manipulate your brainwaves in a similar manner. Having two subjects would be optimal..."

Ten minutes later, Lynn and Lincoln were both in Lisa's bed, both hooked up to an array of machinery. Lisa sat at a computer. Though Lincoln didn't understand some of the language she used, the plan itself was simple enough: Using the computer, she would synch his and Lynn's brainwaves so that they could "share" the same dream.

"Here," Lisa said, handing each of them a pill and a glass of water.

Lincoln took his pill and Lynn took hers. They held hands and waited to sleep.

"You ready, bro?" Lynn asked.

"As I'll ever be," Lincoln replied.

"We're gonna get that asshole. For Luna. And Luan."

Lincoln nodded, already drowsy.

"I'll be right there with you," Lynn said, her voice echoy. "I'll be...

...right there."

They were standing on a moonlit street. Big, comfortable houses loomed out of the night on either side of them. Lynn gasped and looked around. They were still holding hands.

"We're here," she said in awe.

"Yeah," Lincoln said, "and so is Freddy."

Up ahead, Freddy stood in the street, his hands on his hips. "So, you came back," he said, and laughed. "And you brought a friend."

Releasing Lincoln's hand, Lynn approached Freddy. "Come here, asshole. I got something to say to you."

"What's that?" Freddy asked, cupping his hand to his ear. "I can't hear you over the sound of a thousand Freddys."

Lincoln blinked. What?

Suddenly, Freddy Kurger lookalikes were swarming the street, appearing from bushes, from behind trees and mailboxes, running out of houses. Lynn froze. "Shit!"

"Lynn!" Lincoln yelled. "Come on!"

She didn't move.

Cursing, Lincoln grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her in the opposite direction. A Freddy rushed them, but Lynn, coming alive, speared him, knocking him to the ground. Lincoln screamed.

Together, they fled up the street. Looking over his shoulder, Lincoln saw with horror that an entire army of Kurgers had amassed, all raising their gloved hands, all laughing maniacally.

He turned, and up ahead, he saw his own house. "Come on!" he yelled and cut across the yard, Lynn right behind him. He threw open the door and slammed it before the Freddys could reach them. For a long time they stood in the foyer, panting, their hearts racing.

"Great," Lynn said, "now what?"

"Now you die," a voice said, startling them. Luan appeared from the shadows, her face pale and bloodless, her eyes wide and black. She was wearing a Freddy glove.

"L-Luan?" Lynn asked.

"That's not Luan," Lincoln said. He looked around for something to use, and spotted one of Lynn's hockey sticks resting in a corner by the door. He snatched it up and threw it at Lynn, who caught it. Luan continued approaching. Lynn didn't hit her.

"Lynn! It's not Luan!"

"Yes I am," the Luan-thing said. "I'm your loving sister. Come give me a hug."

She raised her hand, and Lynn brought the hockey stick around in a deadly arch, hitting Luan's arm and breaking it. Luan screamed and fell down. "You fucking _bitch_!"

Lynn was dazed.

"Upstairs," Lincoln said, and started up. Lynn came behind him, looking over her shoulder at her fallen sister, who was now softly weeping.

At the top of the stairs, Lincoln froze. Luna was waiting. She was holding a red and green striped guitar that ended in a wicked point. "Hey, little bro," she said, her teeth jagged pinpoints, "wanna shred?"

Thinking fast, Lincoln kicked her the knee, and she fell back. "Ow! Not cool, dude!"

"Come on!" Lincoln yelled, and started for his room. He had no idea where he was going.

Inside, he slammed the door and turned on the light.

"Holy shit," Lynn said.

"What?" Lincoln asked, and turned, knowing already that he didn't want to know.

Instead of his room, he saw a wide football field. Freddy was standing in the center of a hulking offensive line, his hands on his hips. "Glad you could make it to the big game. Hut!"

The giants started at them.

Lincoln screamed and turned back to the door. He opened it, and ducked through.

"Oh, no."

They were standing on a rooftop overlooking a city street. Cars were parked at weird angles, trash blew in the wind. In the street, a thousand walking corpses shuffled aimlessly about, moaning. One stopped, turned around, and locked eyes with Lincoln: Then it began shambling in his direction. The rest followed.

Lincoln spied a doorway. He grabbed Lynn and went to it.

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know!"

He ripped the door open and went through it.

For a moment, he thought they were still in the zombie world. They were standing on a rubble strewn street. Buildings were blasted and broken all around them.

He quickly saw that it was a different scene, though, when Freddy, as tall as Godzilla or taller, appeared from behind a skyscraper. Smiling, he gave a little wave.

"Shit!"

"Here!" Lynn said, pointing to a door.

That one led them right into Freddy's arms. It happened so fast that Lincoln didn't realize they were captured until Freddy lifted him off his feet by the back of his shirt. He held Lynn in the other hand.

"Awwww," Freddy said, "brother and sister. How nice."

Lincoln grabbed Freddy by the throat, while Lynn swung herself forward and wrapped her arms around his chest.

"Now!" Lynn screamed.

Lincoln hoped this worked. He hoped Lisa...

...Lincoln sat up, dazed. For a moment he didn't know where he was or what was happening. Then, like a shot, Freddy leaped over him, and the girls screamed.

He made for the door, but Lynn was right on his heels. She grabbed him by the back of his shirt and spun him around. He smacked her across the face, and turned, but Lori was in his way.

"You bastard!" she screamed, and launched herself at him, her fingers hooked into talons. Freddy screamed as she clawed his face. He danced back, and Lola stuck out her foot. He tripped, crashed into Lisa's lab, and wailed.

Lincoln jumped up as his sisters fell on Freddy, raining down a flurry of kicks and curses. Freddy rolled up in a ball in a pathetic attempt to protect himself. "Stop!" he screamed. "Stop! I'll leave you alone! I'll leave you alone!"

Lynn elbowed her way through the crowd, mounted Freddy, and punched him in the mouth. Lincoln saw blood and bits of teeth flying through the air. Lynn hit him again, and again. Lana smashed him in the knee with a big red wrench, and Lucy kicked him in the stomach. Lisa stood by her ruined lab, watching in something like horror.

"Kill him!" Leni said. "Kill him!"

"I have an idea," Lori said, panting. She motioned for her siblings to cease their assault on the broken, bloody Kruger. "Help me with him."

Being as quiet as they could so not to wake their parents, they dragged Freddy down the stairs and out into the backyard. Lana got a rope from the shed, and threw it over a tree branch. Lynn tied the other end around Freddy's neck. The undead child molster was on his knees, his head hung, drops of blood falling from his ruined face.

"Do it," Freddy said, "unless you don't have the guts."

Lynn, Lori, Leni, Lana, and Lucy pulled the other end of the rope, hoisting Freddy up. His feet jerked and kicked, tap dancing on air. After a long time, he went still, swinging back and forth in the wind.


	14. The Final Act

They cut him down after an hour: His eyes strained from their sockets, and his neck had stretched, the skin turning an ugly purple color.

"What now?" Leni asked.

"We cut his head off," Lucy said dispassionately, "then burn him."

Lori shivered. "Isn't that a little much?"

"No," Lucy said. "We have to be sure."

As it was her idea, Lucy took it upon herself to do the honors: After fetching a hacksaw from the garage, she knelt beside the dead child molester and ran the blade back and forth against his throat until the head separated. Green slime oozed out, and Lucy's stomach turned.

"Fascinating," Lisa said, scooping some of the ichor into a test tube.

Next, Lucy got a gas can from the shed and doused Freddy's body. Lincoln lit it with a match. The fire burned high and bright for nearly two hours. The smell was awful. Nevertheless, none of the siblings retreated: They watched every moment.

When there was nothing left but a burned patch of earth, they covered it with soil and went inside. It was nearly dawn, and they reeked of smoke.

Time passed. Lisa ran tests on the Freddy slime, but the results were inconclusive. How he was able to _live_ outside of the dream world stumped her. Over the past several days, however, she had learned something: Not everything makes sense in the world.

On the first day of school, Lincoln woke early and went downstairs. His sisters were at the table. Mom was making pancakes. Though Luan and Luna weren't there, things were right. Or as right as they would ever be.

"Here you go, honey," mom said. Lincoln turned...

...and froze. She was wearing a red and green striped robe, and held a plate in one hand...her fingers were knives.

"Eat up," she said and smiled, "you need your strength. You have a _long_ day ahead of you..."


End file.
